Marc Barros is stepping down as CEO of Contour, the fast-growing Seattle maker of helmet-mounted cameras used in action sports such as mountain biking and snowboarding.

In a blog post titled “Moving On,” Barros writes that it was time for a change at the company.

“It’s hard to believe that over nine years has passed since we began in my parents’ house,” writes Barros. “I can still remember nervously asking my uncle to co-sign our first loan of $50K so we could start the company. I had no idea if we would lose it all or become a meaningful business.”

Contour has become a meaningful business for sure, and while it is still smaller than rival GoPro it has capitalized on the rise of extreme action sports. Last year, Contour ranked No. 277 on the Inc. 500 list with 2011 revenue of $27.3 million and three-year revenue growth of 1,303 percent.

“One of the most difficult decisions in my life, the company needs fresh legs and a leader with a different set of experiences,” writes Barros, who started the company as part of the University of Washington business plan competition.

Steve Moore is serving as interim CEO as the company looks for a new leader.

“It has some great people that I know will continue to do great things,” said Barros in an email to GeekWire.

“For now I’m traveling the world and helping other start-ups,” says Barros in his blog post. “And although I don’t yet know what my next company will be, I have learned that I am a creator. Being an entrepreneur is my passion and building great companies is my destiny.”

John Cook is GeekWire's co-founder and publisher, a veteran reporter and the longest-serving journalist on the Pacific Northwest tech beat. Follow him @johnhcook and email john@geekwire.com.